The 'WOW' Factor: Redux

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Once upon a time, this girl walked into a Starbucks to meet a guy. It was their first date. They'd met online. He'd winked at her. She checked him out. He sounded interesting. But she wasn't sure. She checked him out a couple more times before she responded. The clencher? His picture.
He'd wanted a recent photo. And the only one he had was one his brother had taken last Thanksgiving. Any guy that was brave enough to use a picture of himself hanging out of a tree was the kind of guy she was interested in talking to. They talked back and forth over email for a good while. Progressed to the phone. And the culmination of their initial communications? An hour-long chat over a couple of lattes. And at the end of that hour? He said "So, uh, would you, uh, like to...I'm never good at this. I'm trying to think of a way to ask you if you'd like to go out with me again. Would you like to?" "Absolutely." she said. He didn't hear her though. He was grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
For their second date, she packed a picnic dinner and took him to a play. They enjoyed cheese and wine and pasta salads while watching a work of The Bard. He could quote The Bard. That impressed her.
They continued to date. To get to know each other. She found him exciting, intelligent, romantic, imperfect, caring, handsome, warm-hearted, funny...the list goes on. He was everything she had been looking for. He made her laugh. He made her feel.
One day, over breakfast, he looked up at her. They'd been talking about IT recently. You know, the hypotheticals, the "What if's". As they were sitting in front of the fireplace at "their" breakfast spot, he took her hand in his. She looked up at him. He said "Will you marry me?". She said "Yes."
They've had this secret for a little while now. The holidays were going to be the perfect time to tell their families. On Thanksgiving Day, during dinner, he started to tell a story. "I was the Valedictorian of my High School class. Everyone told me I had to have a speech. And I said 'There's a speech?'. So for a week prior to graduation, everyone was asking me 'Have you finished your speech? What's your speech about?'. I had no speech. So when I got up on graduation day, I said 'Um. I'm really glad I graduated. Had some really nice teachers. Um. Thanks.' It was a horrible speech and my family cringed. Now, like then, I'm wishing I would have come up with a speech, because I have something to say that I knew I was going to say, but I have no idea how to tell you. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, if none of you have any plans on January 26, 2007, we would like you to come to our wedding. I asked her, and obviously she said yes, or we wouldn't be inviting you. The first time I met her at Starbucks, there was just something about her. I heard the words to every cheesy love song from David Cassidy to Michael Bolton, and in the words of Al Green thought, 'Let's Stay Together'." Then he looked at her and said "I love you." She looked back at him and said "I love you too." And then her family erupted in applause and tears and cheers.
Over the weekend, they went to visit his brother. They owed it all to him you know. He's the one that took the picture of this guy hanging out of a tree. On their way down, they talked about how to tell the rest of their friends. Since that picture from last Thanksgiving had everything to do with them being together, they decided it would be fitting to take another picture under the tree. Together this time.

11/27/2005 09:12:00 PM :: ::

38 Comments:

Whoa! I just about choked on my Danish Butter Cookie. Speaking of, why can't they just do the pretzel-shaped ones, the rectangular ones, and the round ones with the holes? I hate the solid round ones.